The Residence Halls Association should be your friend. And with its new e-mail system Helpdesk, it is now easier to develop a useful relationship. RHA introduced the e-mail system at the beginning of the semester as a place for students to send comments, questions and concerns about MSU-related issues.
In Abdulahi Sufi's column "Wells Hall preachers don't consider what they say or who they judge" (SN 3/13), Sufi makes the assertion that "Jesus Christ and God Almighty are not the same," and attempts to show that Jesus was just a prophet and nothing more (which is the Muslim position on Jesus' identity). Regrettably, Sufi shows a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures in general and the New Testament in particular. Although there are no passages in the Bible where Jesus states, "I am God," there is an abundance of evidence that demonstrates that Jesus taught others he was God and both his followers and his enemies understood his claim to deity. This evidence is in the form of the prerogatives that Jesus claimed, which his Jewish audience understood as belonging to God alone. These prerogatives included: being worshipped (Matt 28:9, 17; John 9:38; Luke 24:52; Revelation 5:11-14); existing before Abraham (John 8:58); coming from Heaven (John 3:13; 3:31; 6:38); being able to forgive sins (Luke 5:20-24; 7:48); ruling over his angels and the Kingdom of God (Matt 13:41); and declaring himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28). Would a mere man, even a prophet, truthfully claim to be "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22:13)? There is no question that the various writers of the New Testament recognized Jesus as being God (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17; Philippians 2:6-11; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1-3). What is equally, if not more informative, is the fact that the enemies of Jesus also recognized in his teachings the claim of being Deity (John 5:18; 10:33). In light of both his disciples and his enemies recognizing that Jesus the Messiah identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (John 8:58), the Muslim assertion that Jesus was merely a prophet, or a good teacher, simply cannot be sustained. Although one might claim that they are a follower of Christ and love him, the truth is that, by denying his eternal power and divine nature they are following a Jesus that exists only in their imagination. One can accept or reject his claims as being God and Savior, but one simply cannot call him a mere prophet.
Slender vegetarians were the last people I would have expected to be flashing their udders. I recently viewed a commercial that was created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, to air for the Super Bowl.
This letter is in response to the comments made by television evangelist Pat Robertson. Commenting on the war in Iraq and the recent unrest over the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in Europe, Robertson attempts to characterize all Muslims by stating that the recent outpouring of rage "just shows the kind of people we're dealing with. "These people are crazed fanatics, and I want to say it now: I believe it's motivated by demonic power.
Recently, the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate gave in to Democratic pressure and agreed to a bill to raise the Michigan minimum wage to $6.95 by this fall and $7.40 an hour by July 2008.
Ryan McCormick's perception of the world in his review of "Crash" in "'Crash' doesn't deserve best picture nomination" (SN 3/02) is just as horrible as his view of the movie.
As the producer and one of several co-directors of the first three large-scale "The Vagina Monologues" productions performed at MSU, I would like to express how delighted and proud I am that this show and the V-Day celebrations have continued and grown. In the first three years, we raised nearly $15,000 for local domestic violence shelters, such as MSU's Safe Place.
During the past couple weeks, people have been talking about the Christian preachers near Wells Hall. They stand in the courtyard with signs and Bibles, yelling out religious scripture and sometimes yelling directly at students and people who pass by. The discussion about the preachers has centered around different aspects of their presence.
I am writing in response to the article "Student site posts Danish cartoons" (SN 2/28). First, how can you be offended if you haven't even seen the cartoons?
Ignorance is not that blissful. According to some legal analysts worried about dramatic changes in U.S.
I understand that this is a public university and the public has a right to be on campus. I understand the preacher's right to be outside of Wells Hall. However, I do not understand how nothing can be done about it. He is not peacefully standing outside a classroom building.
Unlike a lot of the more, let's call them "ranting, raving liberals," who get published here, I'm really not the worst. As I have gotten older, I've found myself leaning a little more toward the middle of the political spectrum. I believe in the right to bear arms, and I have lots of arms to bear.
More legal options for popular illegal activities can't be a bad thing. This isn't about underage drinking or common illegal substances, it's about another, perhaps safer, form of entertainment. Amazon.com Inc. is conversing with several Hollywood studios about creating an online service for consumers to download and copy television shows and movies. The possibility of Amazon.com entering the business of digital downloads puts it up against a serious rival, Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes.
Tim Olster's letter, "Cartoons not only offensive possibilities" (SN 3/1), and many news stories diminish and confuse the issues surrounding the recent controversy. I cannot claim to speak for all Muslims, but I have been all too aware of the deep-rooted contempt for Islam and Muslims inherent in both popular and classical culture, all the way from Dante's Inferno to contemporary crude jokes about "sand-niggers." Offensive expression is not something new. I submit that the issue is not one of freedom of speech, but that of political realities.
What happens if the H5N1 strain of the Avian (bird) flu, comes to America? Will we be able to control it?
In a recent column, "Evolutionary theory, science needed to vaccinate irrational beliefs" (SN 2/16), John Bice promoted science as a way of protecting us from irrational beliefs, such as belief in God. For him, religion is a disease from which only scientific rationality can save us.
MSU Muslim Students' Association President Farhan Abdul Azeez's claim that "anybody's right to say anything ends where another person's dignity begins" in "Cartoons continue to evoke debate" (SN 3/01) is antithetical to free speech. Free speech is speech not subjected to restriction or control — regardless of someone's dignity.
I am amazed that, despite what has been happening in the Middle East for the past few weeks, SpartanEdge.com has decided to post the cartoons for all to see. I know that the debate on freedom of speech is likely to explode on campus in coming weeks, but why would anyone decide to do that?
I was totally outraged to see new shiny silver parking-enforcement trucks rolling around campus. MSU parking is horrendous. Many students have racked up hundreds of dollars in tickets because of the lack of available parking on the campus. Where does that money go?
I am writing in response to Ryan McCormick's article, "'Crash' doesn't deserve best picture nomination" (SN 3/02). I feel as though his judgment of the film is unjustified and that he does not give adequate support for his claims. First of all, how can he make any sort of comparison between "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain" if he, as he states in the very beginning, hasn't seen the latter film? As someone who has seen both "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain," I will say that both films are excellent and deserved to be the front-runners of the Oscars race this year.